


A Million Times

by bellatrix187



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Coming Out, Friends to Lovers, Gay Male Character, House Sitting, M/M, Masturbation, Mutual Masturbation, Non-Explicit Sex, Porn Magazines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:09:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26084722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellatrix187/pseuds/bellatrix187
Summary: Albus has been pining after his best friend for two years now. After almost a week of house-sitting with Scorpius for his parents’ friends Dean and Seamus, he has had enough of keeping it inside him. He has no idea what Scorpius is feeling, how to bring it up, or what it will mean for them, but will the discovery of a few dirty magazines spark a conversation about their sexualities and force him to confess?
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter, Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas
Comments: 6
Kudos: 119
Collections: Scorbus Fest 2020





	A Million Times

The summer before his seventh year at Hogwarts, Dean and Seamus Thomas-Finnegan offered Albus Potter a job house-sitting while they went on holiday. Albus took the job on the condition that he could invite his best friend, Scorpius to help him. He had no desire to spend a week by himself at his parents’ friends’ house, even if it meant making more money. Ginny assured Dean and Seamus that Scorpius was very responsible, so they were happy to let him come along. 

Albus was eager to spend some time away from his family for the first time all summer, and even more eager to spend alone time with Scorpius, whom he had been in love with for over two years. 

“There’s a potion that we give her in case it starts thundering,” Dean explained. “It’s with the rest of the medications in the cabinet and it’ll have her name on it. Give her one dose and it should calm her down for at least six hours.”

“Got it,” Albus nodded. He and Scorpius were standing in the kitchen of Dean and Seamus’ house, getting last minute instructions for taking care of their Corgi, Fiona. Seamus had already left via floo with their twin girls, who were five years younger than Scorpius and Albus. 

“And no wild parties, please,” Dean added, referring to what had happened the last time he and his husband went out of town. James had volunteered to house sit for the couple and used the opportunity to throw a “small” party that had quickly grown out of control when James’s entire year showed up. Dean and Seamus had floo-called James to check in and immediately apparated back after noticing that the house was trashed. Ginny had grounded James for the remainder of the summer. 

“Don’t worry, Scor and I hardly have enough friends to throw a party,” Albus tried to joke, though it came off as a little self-deprecating. He instinctively reached up to run his fingers through his hair while trying to pass the awkward silence that ensued. As usual, Scorpius came to his aid. 

“Albus and I only need each other,” he assured Dean. 

Albus felt his ears go pink and mentally thanked Merlin that he had refused the haircut his mother had offered him the previous week. Scorpius often said small phrases like that—little things that suggested that he and Albus were something more. It never failed to fluster him. 

“I think that’s it,” Dean concluded. “And remember, everything is written on here,” he gestured to the notepad sitting atop the counter. “You can always fire-call us if you have any questions or emergencies.” Dean bid them goodbye and gave Fiona one last pet before disapparating.

“So, who are we inviting to our rager this weekend?” Albus asked Scorpius as soon as Dean had disappeared with an audible pop. 

“Albus,” Scorpius chastised him. “Didn’t you hear what Dean said about…” 

“I’m joking, Scor,” Albus rolled his eyes. He picked up his bag and set it on the pull-out couch where he assumed he would be sleeping—Scorpius could take the guest room. “But we should at least try and have a little fun while we’re here.” 

“We never agreed on sleeping arrangements,” said Scorpius, eying Albus’s bag. “Are you sure you want to sleep on the couch?” 

“I don’t mind,” he shrugged. “I’m used to sleeping in uncomfortable places. Whenever we stay at a Muggle hotel James always gets the bed. Besides, I wouldn't want to force you to sleep on a pull-out couch when you’re so used to your posh, fancy bed at the Manor.”

“My bed is not posh,” Scorpius retorted in mock offense. “Okay, maybe a little bit. But I don’t mind sleeping on the couch!” 

“Nah, it’s alright,” said Albus seriously. 

Scorpius, however, still wasn’t satisfied with the sleeping arrangements and didn’t relent until they agreed to switch who had the bed every night. 

The first afternoon, they took Fiona out for a walk around the neighborhood together. According to Dean, she didn't need much exercise, but she loved being outside and seemed to be happiest on walks. It was a nice, cool day for August as they set off, and Scorpius spent most of the journey talking Albus’ ear off about seventh year. 

Albus didn’t mind, though. He loved listening to Scorpius go on about everything and anything, even if Scorpius did stress himself in the process. 

“McGonagall says Head and Boys and Girls are supposed to have perfect grades, Albus! And I got an E in Muggle Studies last year. An E!” He threw his hands up. 

“One E,” Albus pointed out, rolling eyes. “Your marks are about as perfect as they get, Scor. I don’t think you have to worry. Besides, McGonagall loves you.” 

“But I heard from Rose, who heard from the Ravenclaw prefects, who heard from last year’s Head Boy that she was considering Boot!” 

“That’s just a rumor though. And didn’t Boot get caught smuggling firewhiskey into the Hufflepuff common room last year?” 

“I forgot about that…”

“I’m sure you’ll get it. You’re perfect for it,” Albus told him sincerely. 

“You’re probably right,” Scorpius admitted. “But still…”

“I know I am,” Albus boasted. “You can say ‘I told you so’ when you get your Head Boy badge in the mail.” 

Halfway around the block, they encountered a friendly looking elderly couple. Albus nodded at them and smiled, thinking that would be the extent of their interaction, but the woman stopped them and gave them a funny look. He was just about to check if he had accidentally stuck his wand into the pocket of his shorts when she spoke up:

“Are you that couple that just moved in down the street?” She asked bluntly. “My husband John and I saw the moving van yesterday, but we haven’t gotten a chance to stop by.” She eyed their attire up and down skeptically while Scorpius suddenly became interested in what Fiona was looking at. 

“Er, no,” Albus admitted awkwardly. “We’re house sitting for Dean and Seamus Thomas-Finnegan, who live down that way,” he pointed in the opposite direction toward their house. 

“Oh, my apologies,” the woman said in a sincere tone before setting off in the opposite direction with her husband, who mouthed an apology. 

“Have a nice day!” Scorpius called out merrily, seemingly unbothered. 

Albus didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or amused at someone mistaking them for a couple old enough to buy a house. Scorpius didn’t comment on it and instead changed the subject back to the topic of Head Boy. 

That wasn’t the first time somebody mistook Albus and Scorpius for a couple. Albus knew that many of the other Slytherin students thought they were together. He could tell by their stares and the way they often whispered about him and his friend. Even his mum often gave him suggestive looks when Scorpius visited like she knew there was more between them. There was, although Albus was almost positive it only went one way. Scorpius never noticed—or if he did, he never brought it up. Albus never brought it up either, if he was being honest with himself. Secretly, he liked the fact that people thought they were together. He liked the idea of Scorpius being his and wanting back him in that way, even if it was all in his head. 

There were moments, though, when it felt selfish to want him in that way. Sometimes Albus felt as though he were holding Scorpius back from life. He couldn’t keep his friend all to himself forever. What if Scorpius wanted a girlfriend one day? What would he say when somebody pointed out the fact that, sometimes, they did act a lot like boyfriends? Would he stop sitting so close to Albus at dinner? Or putting his head in his lap on the couch in the Slytherin Common Room? They were small gestures, but they made Albus feel wanted, and hopeful in the way that only Scorpius could. 

Back at the house, Albus introduced Scorpius to video games. Dean and Seamus had been nice enough to allow them to use their Nintendo Switch, a type of Muggle video game console that Albus had at home. He showed Scorpius how to play Mario Kart, which Scorpius was absolutely dreadful at. Albus easily passed Scorpius and the rest of the characters, coming into first place. 

“You’re going backwards, Scor,” he laughed, pointing at the arrow that had come up on the screen telling his character to turn around. 

“Well, it’s not my fault this game is impossible,” Scorpius huffed, trying and failing to turn around. “Can you do it for me?” He thrusted his controller into Albus’ hand. Albus set down his own controller, abandoning his own character to help turn Scorpius’ turn around. 

“There,” he gave Scorpius his controller back and picked up his own. He was in tenth place now, but managed to get a jet and catch up for the third lap, coming in first place. He glanced over at Scorpius’ screen just in time to see him cross the finish line. 

“Hey, eleventh place Scor, that’s better than last time,” Albus teased. 

“We can’t all be perfect and come in first place every time,” Scorpius mocked him, setting his controller down. 

“Scor, you’re literally perfect at everything,” Albus pointed out. 

Scorpius blushed and muttered something that sounded like “not everything,” but didn’t argue any further. 

For dinner, Albus being the only one that could cook (the one skill he figured he had the Scorpiius didn’t) , boiled some water and heated up tomato sauce in a pan. Dean and Seamus had been nice enough to leave them some snacks for the week. Draco, on the other hand, let Scorpius take as much from the Manor’s pantry as he needed.   
Surprisingly, he hadn’t only brought sweets like Albus expected, but lots of sensible items that could be used for meals. 

“What are you making?” Scorpius appeared over his shoulder as he added some basil to the pan. 

“The sauce,” Albus explained. “For the pasta,” he added when Scorpius still looked confused. 

“Oh.”

“Sometimes I forget that you have house-elves to do everything for you at home,” Albus rolled his eyes. 

“They do not do everything for us! Dad is trying to teach me some life skills. Like making my bed and doing laundry. Besides, I have you to cook for me now.” He picked up a slice of mozzarella cheese on the counter and popped it in his mouth. 

“Am I just your house-elf, then?” Albus grabbed the cheese and put some of it in the sauce before Scorpius could finish it off. 

“Of course not! I care about you way more than I care about our house-elf!”

“I was only joking, Scor. Can you look for a colander for the ziti? I think it’s done. It’s the big metal bowl with all the holes,” he explained, knowing that Scorpius probably had never seen one before. 

Scorpius rummaged through the counters and dug out the colander. 

“What do I do with this?” He held it up, looking confused. Albus could only laugh. This was the boy who had received almost all Outstandings on his O.W.L exams but didn’t know the first thing when it came to cooking pasta. 

“Just give it to me,” Albus took it and set it in the sink to drain the pasta. 

“I really should learn how to cook one day before I move out,” Scorpius mused. 

“Or we could just move in together and I can cook for you,” Albus suggested, half as a joke but half to hear what Scorpius’ reaction would be. 

“Would you actually want to?” Scorpius sounded genuinely excited about the idea. “After we graduate, of course.” 

“Er-yeah,” Albus admitted. He poured the now-drained pasta into the sauce. “I’ve just been thinking about what I’m going to do after school a lot. Mum and Dad wanted me to come up with some sort of plan. I just thought it might be a good idea. Not that we would have to decide right away…” 

“Of course I would want to!” Scorpius practically shouted. “We could get a flat together—and maybe even a Pygmy Puff! Dad would never let me have one at home.” 

Albus’ heart swelled at his words. He wanted, more than anything, to move in with Scorpius once they graduated even though he knew that living with him would only intensify his feelings and set him up for heartbreak once Scorpius inevitably found a partner and moved out. 

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself, Scor. I don’t even know what I’m doing after school.” 

“You’ll figure it out!” Scorpius assured him. “You’re good at lots of things.” 

“Dad keeps trying to slip in questions about my plans whenever I’m home. He thinks he’s being subtle but he isn't,” Albus took two plates out of the cabinet, handing one to Scorpius. 

“I’m sure he means well,” Scorpius put in gently. 

“I know. It’s just stressful. I mean I have no idea what I’m going to do once we graduate and he expects me to have this plan. James knew he wanted to play quidditch when he was in fifth year. And I still don’t know what I’m doing,” he sighed. 

Scorpius set his plate down on the counter and hugged him tightly. 

“Albus, you are so smart. You have so many options. You just need to figure out what you’re most passionate about. I promise you’ll figure it out.” 

Albus blushed as his friend pulled away, muttering “thanks” and quickly grabbing his plate to serve himself.

Following their schedule, Albus took the pull-out couch that night. 

“I’m bored,” Albus complained, plopping down on the couch next to Scorpius, who was reading one of the five books he brought along to keep him busy throughout the week. 

“Read a book,” Scorpius suggested. “Do you want to borrow one of mine?” 

“Nah, I do too much reading during the school year.” 

“Well, it’s only our second day. Want to play video games again?” 

“Nah, you can keep reading your book. I’ll figure it out. Albus looked around, as if the room would magically tell him what to do. He opened up one of the drawers in the coffee table and found some blank sheets of paper and nice, expensive looking charcoal pencils. Albus briefly recalled his mum mentioning that Dean was an artist. He carefully took a sheet out of the drawer and grabbed a pencil. 

He didn’t consider himself to be an artist by any means, but he used to love doodling when he was younger. It helped him escape the loudness of his family and became an outlet where he could express his creativity. He’d gotten quite good at it at one point, though he was out of practice. Between what had happened in fourth year and the increased workload Hogwarts had been giving them recently, he hadn’t had the time or interest for it. 

“Are you drawing again?” Scorpius looked up from his book at Albus holding the paper and pencil in his hand. 

“Er, maybe,” Albus muttered, setting them down. Now that Scorpius was watching him he felt a little self-conscious about it. He wasn’t any good, anyway. “I don’t even know what to draw.” He lied. 

“You could draw me?” Scorpius suggested. 

“Nah, I’m not that good.” Albus blushed. He didn’t think he could handle staring at Scorpius for an extended amount of time and not accidentally saying something that would reveal his feelings. 

“It doesn’t have to be good,” Scorpius shrugged. “Here, I’ll even pose for you,” he lifted his book up higher and pulled a serious face, pretending to read. Albus snorted. 

“Alright, fine,” he agreed. “But lose the serious face. I don’t mind if you actually read. Just sit still.” 

Nervously, he picked up the pencil once again and cleared a spot away on the coffee table to begin. Scorpius was reading normally now, but staying extra still for Albus. He didn’t have much experience with drawing portraits so it wasn’t going to be a masterpiece, but Scorpius apparently didn’t mind. 

He traced the outline of Scorpius’ face and body, surprised at how well it was turning out. He tried not to let his gaze linger on Scorpius’ jaw bone or his Adam's apple. Really, it was unfair for someone to look that attractive reading a book. 

Scorpius snapped his eyes up from his book to look at him and grinned. Albus blushed and ducked his head down so he wouldn’t see it. Merlin, why did he agree to this again? He kept drawing, the outline turning into more of a sketch than an actual portrait. He always had difficulty drawing lips. Though Albus had spent countless hours staring at Scorpius’ lips, watching him bite them in concentration or staring at them as he spoke passionately about something, he still couldn’t get them right. 

His eyes also proved to be tricky; Albus wondered whether he would use blue or grey to fill them in if he were using colour. He studied them closely, taking advantage of the one chance he had to stare shamelessly at what he had been wanting for so long. 

Roughly twenty minutes later, Albus put his pencil down and looked at the rather rough but complete sketch. It was far from perfect. He still thought Scorpius’ fingers were disproportional and the texture of his hair not right, but he tried not to be too critical. That was a skill he had been working on for a while. 

“Tada!” said Albus sarcastically, setting the pencil down and holding up the paper for Scorpius to see. 

Scorpius got up and took the paper out of his hand to examine it more closely. 

“Al—this is incredible!” Albus watched his eyes study it and linger in certain areas. He hoped he had captured Scorpius right. But there was so much more to him than any drawing could ever embody. He’d do it one day. “Can I have it?” 

“You really want it?” Albus was happy with the way it turned out, considering how rusty his drawing skills were, but he didn’t think it was anything worth framing and putting on the wall. 

“Of course! You have to sign it though,” he picked up the pencil and gave it to Albus. 

“Scor, I think you’ll remember that I was the one who drew it,” Albus rolled his eyes. 

“I want you to sign it,” he urged. “It will be worth millions one day.” 

“I’m sure it will,” Albus joked. Still, he picked up the pencil and scribbled his initials in the bottom corner of the page. He hesitated before picking up his wand and duplicating it. He wanted to remember their time house-sitting together, no matter what happened in the future. Scorpius didn’t comment on the copy when Albus handed him the original one. 

Scorpius gasped suddenly, looking up from the sketch. 

“Al, maybe you should do something with art after school!” He suggested. It was a solid idea, but...

“Nah, I’m not that good…” Albus brushed off the idea. Scorpius meant well, but there was no way he could make a living off of his art. Maybe one day when he got good enough. 

“You are though!” Scorpius practically shouted. “And I think with a bit more practice you could be really great.” 

Albus thought about Scorpius’ words for the rest of the day. His best friend had convinced him to start doing something he was passionate about again, and encouraged him the entire time. Looking back on it, he realized that Scorpius had always been supportive of him, even when Albus was being a complete dick. He wished he were as good a friend. 

The days seem to fly by from there on out. Albus would cook breakfast and later they would walk Fiona under the afternoon sun. They’d spend the afternoon playing video games or reading or just talking. There were no wild parties, but it was more fun than any party Albus had ever been to. He didn’t think he’d ever been more relaxed or himself than during those days. 

Before that week, Albus didn’t think he’d ever want this quiet, domestic life that his parents, aunts and uncles always gushed about but he understood it now. He wanted to spend every second with his best friend. He wanted to wake up with Scorpius, spend the entire day with him, fall asleep with him, and then do it all again the next day. Scorpius made even the most mundane, everyday tasks seem adventurous and wonderful. He felt himself looking forward to doing the dishes or walking Fiona, even in thirty-two degree weather, because Scorpius would be with him, talking his ear off about something and making him laugh. 

He climbed into the guest bed on the fourth night there with his heart full. He’d spent a lot of time over the past few years figuring out how to repress his feelings, especially when he was around Scorpius. Tuning them out had become almost second nature to him. However, there were some nights when it just became too much, when his heart felt like it was going to burst with the weight of everything it was carrying for his best friend.

It didn’t help that the sheets smelled like him. Albus buried his face into the pillowcase and inhaled the intoxicating scent of Scorpius. It worked like a drug, and his body responded   
immediately. Blood rushed to the pit of his stomach and he sighed, knowing that there was no turning back now. 

He reached down to palm himself through his boxers before giving in and slipping a hand inside. He didn’t even bother with taking them off. Years of practice meant Albus knew exactly how to touch himself, and which scenarios to play in his head to bring himself off the fastest. 

As he got older and his feelings intensified, the dirty scenarios that he used to imagine every night—the ones of Scorpius on his knees or straddling him and thrusting in and out of him, stopped doing it. These days, the only images that brought him off were ones of Scorpius stroking him and praising him between long, languid kisses or whispering “I love you,” into his ear. 

He whimpered, knowing he was close already and pretending it was Scorpius’ hand touching him. He imagined what Scorpius would say to him if it were really happening, if Scorpius wanted him the way he wanted Scorpius. 

“Albus, you’re so good for me” 

He sped up, reaching his other hand down to help and shuddered, feeling the pressure begin to build in the pit of his stomach. 

“I love you, Albus” 

He buried his face into the pillow to stifle off any noises. 

“I love you” 

Albus shuddered, toppling over the edge, his orgasm quickly becoming one of the most intense ones of his life. He knew he had only a few seconds to enjoy the waves of pleasure before he came back to reality and the guilt set in, as it always did, for the millionth time. What kind of a friend was he to secretly get off to thoughts of his best friend? What would Scorpius do if he ever found out? 

Albus was sick of the shame and the seemingly endless heartbreak he had subjected himself to by letting his feelings get out of control. He couldn’t keep doing this day after day, pretending everything was alright. Confessing his feelings would almost certainly mean heartbreak if Scorpius didn’t return them, but at least he could move on knowing there was no chance. 

Tomorrow, he would come up with a plan. He was too exhausted to think about it now. Albus cleaned himself up with his wand and waited for sleep to come. 

“Coming up with a plan” was easier said than done. He had taken the whole day to think, and yet nothing he had come up with sounded feasible. The phrases that ran through his mind kept becoming more and more ridiculous. 

“Hey, Scorpius! The reason I invited you here to house-sit is because I’m actually in love with you!

“Scorpius, I know you’re my best and only friend but I’m super gay for you. I think about you all the time!” 

“Scorpius, I get off to thoughts of you touching me and telling me you love me every night!” 

He’d spent the whole day in a state of distraction and still hadn’t come up with a plan by dinner time. When nightfall came around, he had abandoned part of his plan altogether and decided that at least hinting to Scorpius that he was gay would be enough. Part of his secret would be out, and maybe it would encourage Scorpius to open up about his own sexuality. He wasn’t proud about chickening out, but there was a reason he had gotten placed in Slytherin and not Gryffindor. Even the idea coming out to his best friend, let alone revealing his feelings, terrified him. He wanted to be honest with Scorpius, he really did, but more importantly he didn’t want anything to change. 

That night, just before bed, a thunderstorm that had seemingly come out of nowhere and hit the area hard enough to cause a power outage. Fiona had started shaking and whimpering, so Albus and Scorpius were quick to find her calming draught. Actually getting her to swallow it, however, was harder than they expected. 

She had run into Dean and Seamus’ bedroom and refused to come out from underneath the bed. Albus had been forced to crawl under there to grab her from the middle and pull her out. Scorpius had been waiting with a dose of the potion, and together they pried her mouth open and forced it down. 

“The bottle said it should take effect in twenty minutes or so,” Scorpius explained, getting up off the floor. “We should probably look for some kind of portable lights, don’t you think? I know we have our wands, but what if we need to use them for something else? Do you think they have any candles around here?” 

“I dunno,” Albus shrugged. He didn’t understand why so many wizards relied on electricity when it was far less reliable than magic. Muggles really hadn’t thought that through enough. What would they have done if they didn’t have their wands? 

“What about flashlights?” Scorpius wondered aloud. “They’re Muggle objects, but many wizards use them too. I bet they’ve got some around here.” 

Using their wands to light the way, they searched the house for any candles or flashlights that might be lying around. Albus checked the bedrooms, and the kitchen while Scorpius tried the basement. After finding nothing, he returned to Dean and Seamus’ room to look again. Absentmindedly, he opened up one of the drawers of the bedside table and found magazines. A stack of them. 

They were clearly from the ’90s given the low quality of the moving photos on the cover and the bright, vintage letters. One of them, at the top of the stack, featured muscular, attractive, men on the cover wearing nothing but thongs as they posed under a title: Wand Glory. It was clearly a porn magazine—more specifically, a gay porn magazine. Though it piqued his interest, it wasn’t anything that Albus hadn’t seen before—he had his fair share of dirty magazines at home. 

Albus vividly remembered the first time he came across some of them. He had been eleven and bored out of his mind, when he decided to snoop through his brothers’ belongings. After finding nothing but old quills and comic books, he had made the mistake of looking in James’s nightstand. What he found was clearly porn, though it was targeted towards men who fancied women. Albus had flipped it open to the first page and was met with explicit, moving photographs of witches and wizards having sex in all sorts of positions. 

He had shoved it back into the bottom of the drawer immediately and did his best to forget about it. At eleven, he had definitely not been ready for that sort of thing. Back then, his knowledge of sex was limited to the very clinical and awkward “talk” his father had given him that year. 

A few years later, once puberty had set in, curiosity got the better of him and when James was at his friend's house for a sleepover, Albus used the opportunity to nick the magazine and examine it more thoroughly. Alone in his room with the door locked, he flipped through the pages, taking in all of the photographs. 

He had instantly found the witches in the photos to be a little too...much. He could appreciate that they were attractive, but their hair was too long, their breasts too big and their bodies too slim. The men on the other hand, were more intriguing. Albus had never seen men so tall, muscular and, well...handsome, he had to admit. All of the boys in his own year were scrawny, acne prone, and hormone driven. Of course the older men in the magazines were more attractive to Albus. 

He had brushed off his disinterest in girls as simply a phase and told himself that once he was a little older like James, he would see them differently. But another few years went by, and as the boys in his year grew taller, started playing quidditch, and taking acne repelling potions, it was impossible to ignore it any longer. And even more impossible to ignore the way his body reacted. 

What sealed the deal though, was his best friend coming to stay at the Potters, fresh from a month-long holiday in France, looking like some kind of Greek god. He had had yet another growth spurt, and his skin was unusually tan for a Malfoy. To make things worse, Draco had bought him a whole new wardrobe full of fancy, French Muggle clothing and let him let him cut his hair so that it looked even fluffier and swooped down over his forehead. Albus practically swooned when he saw him. 

That had been enough to solidify things. It wasn’t enough that Albus was a Slytherin in a family full of Gryffindors or as gay as his namesake. He also just had to be completely, hopelessly in love with his very attractive, and probably very straight, best friend. 

Albus had an idea. Maybe showing Scorpius what he had found would lead him to open up about his sexuality. He knew nothing about Scorpius’ sexual or romantic preferences aside from his short-lived crush on Rose in fourth year. They had never discussed topics like masturbation and sex before. This could be the perfect opportunity to spark a conversation. He almost didn’t feel bad about snooping through the drawers. 

Whether it worked or not, at the very least, Albus wasn’t going to deny what his own preferences were.

“Did you find anything?” Scorpius appeared over his shoulder holding a lit candle. 

“Nope. Just...these,” He backed away so Scorpius could see. He had to admit, he did feel slightly guilty that he had been snooping through the drawers and was now showing Scorpius what he had found. 

Scorpius audibly gasped when he saw what was in the drawer. Albus scrutinized his face, illuminated by the flickering flame, for further reaction. There was only shock. 

“Scorpius?” Albus pressed, trying and failing to get his attention. 

“Are those dirty magazines? The ones that the boys in our dormitory always talk about?” 

“Er, I think so, yeah. “I haven’t gotten a very good look at them,” he lied. Scorpius didn’t say anything. “Well, don’t act so surprised. It’s not like you’ve never seen one before.” 

“I haven’t,” said Scorpius, finally breaking his gaze from the drawer to look Albus in the eye. “Seen one before. A dirty magazine, that is,” he stuttered. 

What? He had to be lying. Probably out of embarrassment. Scorpius was a seventeen-year-old boy who went to a boarding school. They all had magazines like that hidden safely in the confines of their trunks or under their beds. It wasn’t something that they were proud of but they all had needs. 

“Scor, you don’t have to be embarrassed about it,” Albus told him gently. “We all have them.”

“Even you?” Scorpius looked at him as if he had grown a second head. 

“Er, yeah,” Albus admitted sheepishly. 

“You’ve never mentioned it to me before,” Scorpius pointed out.

“Sorry,” Albus shrugged. “I just assumed we all had them.” 

“Well it’s not like I’m not—interested in this kind of...stuff,” said Scorpius quietly, his cheeks going Gryffindor red. “It’s not like I don’t...you know,” he coughed and then lowered his voice to say “masturbate.” Albus gaped at his best friend, never having ever heard him admit to partaking in such an activity. 

“The posh Scorpius Malfoy wanks?” Albus teased. 

“Yes,” Scorpius huffed, rolling his eyes. “But I’ve just never seen anything like this,” he gestured to the stack of magazines. “I mean where do you even buy these? Do people owl-order them to their houses? Or to their school?” 

“Well, the packaging is pretty discreet. Although one time, Mum opened up one of James's at the breakfast table on accident.” 

Scorpius snorted. 

“That must have gone well.” 

“It resulted in an hour-long lecture that I had to listen to because I just happened to be there. Mum went on and on about ‘respecting women’ and’ female objectification’ and all that,” Albus rolled his eyes. “I mean, not that it’s not important,” he added. “But I back then I wasn’t willing to admit to Mum that I’m as gay as Albus Dumbledore.” 

There it was. Scorpius’ eyes, illuminated by the flickering candle in his hands, went wide and Albus swore he saw his cheeks flush the tiniest bit. 

“Oh.” Scorpius stammered. 

“Yeah…” Albus trailed off stupidly, already regretting his dumb idea. He reached up to play with the back of his hair to give his hands something to do. 

“Well, I guess our preferences are more similar than I thought,” Scorpius said after a beat. 

What!?

“What?” He said aloud, needing a minute for his mouth to catch up with his brain. “I mean you— you’re—gay?” He stuttered, praying to Merlin that this all wasn’t some big joke. He hadn’t thought that Scorpius was really going to admit to anything. 

“Not exactly,” Scorpius began. “Well, I’m not really sure of the specifics. But...I don’t think I’m straight. I’ve known for a while now, I just wasn’t sure how to say it.” 

Scorpius wasn’t straight. Scorpius wasn’t straight, which meant that Scorpius liked boys, which meant that—Albus was getting too ahead of himself. It didn’t mean anything. There were dozens of other boys at Hogwarts—hell, there were millions of other boys outside of Hogwarts, most of whom were probably a lot more attractive, interesting and likable than Albus. Even so, for the first time he felt a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, this might work out one day. 

“Oh.” Albus echoed Scorpius’ reaction from earlier. 

Neither boy said anything for a minute and Albus, content with his findings, had been about to shut the drawer and get ready for bed when Scorpius spoke up. 

“Would it...would it be wrong if we looked at them?” 

For the second time that night, Scorpius shocked him. 

“I want to look at them,” he repeated when Albus said nothing. “I know it seems wrong and everything—I mean they’re not ours and we’re definitely not supposed to be snooping through their stuff—but I’ve never seen this stuff before and I feel like I’m missing out.”

“You do?” Albus asked in disbelief. “You really want to?” 

He nodded, seemingly embarrassed before shocking Albus even more. 

“Would you want to…wouldyouwanttolookatthemtogether?” Scorpius blurted out so fast Albus wasn’t sure if he’d heard him correctly. 

“What?” 

“I—” Scorpius started, “I just thought that...maybe we could look at them together? And...you know...” He suggested, the nervousness evident in the way his voice got higher at the end of the question. 

What was Scorpius implying by “you know” ? Did he mean…

“I mean—we don’t have to,” his face was turning scarlet. “I just thought...I know that other boys in school do that...and I wanted to try it.” 

As much as Albus wanted to do that, he knew it wasn’t the best idea. What good would it do to see Scorpius touch himself, with his head thrown back and his eyes closed and his cheeks flushed, moaning—Albus shook the image out of his head before it became visible how aroused he was already becoming. 

“Albus?” Scorpius pressed. “If you don’t want…”

“I do,” Albus decided on the spot, before Scorpius changed his mind. 

Who was he kidding? Scorpius was actually asking to wank with Albus. When would he ever get that opportunity ever again? Who could turn that down? 

Scorpius chose a magazine off of the stack at random and they took it to the living room   
where they could sit comfortably on the couch. The lit wands and candles they had placed on the coffee table gave the room quite a romantic atmosphere and Albus tried to ignore it as they sat down. 

Scorpius opened up the magazine to the first page and propped it up on the coffee table. 

“Can you see it alright?” 

Albus nodded stiffly. He thought he had been prepared for the explicit scenes that he was met with on the page, but seeing them with Scorpius was a whole different matter. There were two young men that couldn’t have been much older than him and Scorpius, on a double bed, one of them kneeling between the other’s legs. It was certainly erotic, but Albus had a feeling that the men in the magazine wouldn’t be who would bring him off. 

He glanced at Scorpius, who already looked intrigued at what was on the page. He had begun touching himself over his sweatpants. Feeling embarrassed, Albus followed his lead, trying his best not to pay too much attention to his friend. 

“Do you want me to turn the page?” Scorpius asked suddenly, his hand frozen between his legs. 

Albus took the opportunity to look at him; his cheeks were already flushed and there was the obvious sign of arousal in his lap. He nodded stiffly. 

Scorpius sat up and flipped it to the second page, which featured the same men in quite a different position, one of them on all fours and the other thrusting in and out of him. Albus kept rubbing himself, focusing on the moving photographs and ignoring the way Scorpius’ was already breathing heavily beside him. He shifted slightly, his arm brushing against Albus’ as he pulled down his sweatpants and boxers in one swift motion. 

Although they had shared a dormitory for six years and had seen each other in various states of undress, Albus had never actually seen Scorpius completely naked. He couldn’t help but take a peek.

Albus had once overheard the other boys in their dormitory whispering about why Scorpius never fully undressed in the dorm. They had speculated that he might have been embarrassed by his size. One sly glance at his friend’s lap told Albus was this was not the case. As far as he could tell, Scorpius had nothing to be ashamed of. 

Trying to ignore the fact that one of his fantasies was happening right in front of his eyes, Albus followed his lead and pulled his own bottoms down. The cool air around him felt good, and he could get at himself easier now. Though he wasn’t ashamed about his own size (from what he had seen in the dormitory and the quidditch changing rooms, he judged himself to be about average), it felt awkward and embarrassing to be so exposed next to a boy he was in love with. 

Scorpius turned the page one more time, and when he sat back down on the couch, he spread his legs a bit more so that their thighs were touching. They were so close now that he could feel the heat radiating off of his friends’ body and hear his stifled whimpering. 

Albus looked at the new page; there was a different set of boys featured, one tall and blonde, the other slightly shorter with dark, jet black hair. Albus wondered if Scorpius was thinking the same thing; They looked an awful lot like him and Albus. 

Of course, to add to Albus’ chronic heartbreak, these boys were locked in a more romantic position; the blond hovered over the black-haired boy, slowly moving in and out of him and kissing him sweetly. He knew that they were likely just actors doing a scene together, but they looked like they could be a real couple with the tender expressions on their faces. 

Scorpius had shut his eyes, ignoring the magazine altogether. Albus could tell he was close; The innocent, eleven-year-old boy he had met on the train six years ago was shamelessly writhing in pleasure next to him on the couch. Their bodies were so close that Albus wondered if Scorpius was thinking about him too. 

No. Stop thinking about that. Boys did this together all the time, right? It was all platonic. 

He had almost managed to shake himself out of it until— 

“Albus,” Scorpius whimpered under his breath, so quietly Albus wasn’t sure if he was imagining it or not. He had to have been imagining it, right? 

His hand stilled, hardly daring to believe what he had heard. He opened his eyes to glance over at Scorpius, whose eyes were still shut tight. And then he heard it again:

“Albus,” Scorpius whimpered, his lips moving just enough to get the words out and convince Albus that his brain wasn’t playing tricks on him. But he had said it. Albus increased his pace again to match that of his friends. He could feel now, that they were both so close. The magazine sat abandoned on the coffee table; neither of them needed it anymore. 

He shifted so that they were even closer to each other, so his shoulder brushed against Scorpius’s with every stroke. He felt the familiar tug at the bottom of his stomach and he watched Scorpius closely, memorizing every detail of his face. He was too close to care about what Scorpius might think if he knew he was staring. 

It was over too soon. Scorpius let out a long groan, his hand stilling as he came Albus took the opportunity to memorize every part of him; his eyebrows scrunched together, his eyes shut tight and his mouth open in the filthiest, yet most adorable way. He knew he would never forget the way Scorpius looked in that moment, never ever in a million years. and the sight triggered the most intense high Albus had ever experienced. 

Still riding out the waves of pleasure, he collapsed against Scorpius, closing his eyes and breathing deeply to get his heart rate under control. 

When he opened his eyes he saw that Scorpius had shifted so that they were now face to face. His skin glowed in the candle light, still flushed from recent arousal and his eyes wide and fearful. Albus thought he had known every emotion on his best friend’s face, even lust, but this he couldn’t place. He knew what he wanted it to be, yet he was terrified of hoping for it. 

A moment passed and then Albus threw caution to the wind, leaning in and closing the distance between them. 

The kiss was both too much and not enough. It was soft, barely even a kiss. Just a light brushing of the lips. Nothing like what Albus had seen James and his girlfriends do. Their bodies were too tired to make it anything more. But it was gentle, sweet even. Albus felt like they were in their own world together with the darkness surrounding them and the storm raging on outside. It was over before he knew it and only when the blood began to return to his head did the reality of what they had just done set in. What he had just done. 

“Fuck,” he muttered, turning away and cleaning himself off before doing up his trousers. Scorpius did the same. 

“Albus,” Scorpius called. He sounded hurt, scared even, but Albus was panicking too much to even glance at him

“I’m sorry,” he tried to get up, to get as far away from Scorpius as possible. Would it be wrong to use “obliviate” in this situation?

“Albus,” Scorpius repeated in a firmer voice this time. He grabbed Albus’s arm and pulled him down so he sat next to him again. Scorpius hesitated before leaning in again and pressing his lips firmly against Albus’s. He kissed him more forcefully this time, wrapping his long arms around Albus’ neck. Albus let himself be pressed into the sofa, responding enthusiastically and letting his mind shut off for the first time in days. There was only Scorpius now. 

His lips were soft yet demanding and a million times better than what Albus imagined they would be. They both seemed to know exactly what to do, their bodies fitting together perfectly as they found a rhythm. Scorpius pushed his tongue into Albus’ mouth and because it felt right and it was true, Albus muttered “I love you,” not caring if Scorpius was ready to hear that or not. 

He responded with something that could have been “I love you too” but it was too muffled to discern and Albus didn’t really care. 

He didn’t know how long they kissed for, it seemed to go on and on and on yet Albus felt like he could never get enough of him. He finally pulled back when he could no longer catch his breath. 

“So,” Scorpius began as soon as they parted, still breathing heavily. “You love me…” he looked to Albus for confirmation. 

“Yeah,” Albus confessed, “I’m sorry if you’re not ready to hear that but-”

“I love you, too,” Scorpius blurted out. “Al, I love everything about you,” his eyes were hard and his voice sounded like it was going to break but he was smiling. 

“Fuck.” Albus couldn’t process this. Scorpius had just kissed him, Scorpius had kissed him and actually confessed his love. He started laughing, full on laughing with his whole heart and Scorpius joined in and they held each other. 

“Are you telling me,” Scorpius panted, “that we could have been doing this the whole week?” He collapsed against Albus’ chest, unable to stop giggling. Albus held him in his arms, feeling more at ease than he ever had before. 

“Would have saved me a lot of humiliation and pining if you had kissed me five days ago,” Albus rolled his eyes. 

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to make up for all the missed opportunities,” Scorpius offered slyly. He was flirting—flirting with Albus. 

“Wanna start now?” 

Scorpius leaned in again. They kissed until they were too exhausted to even open their eyes. Scorpius wrapped his arms around Albus’s torso and rested his head on his chest. Sleep came easily for both of them that night. 

Albus awoke to the familiar blinding light coming in from the window and Fiona, clearly over the thunder, yipping excitedly and waiting to be taken out. The power had clearly come back on and the candles had burnt down to their wicks. 

Scorpius stirred against his chest and it took Albus a minute to register what he was doing on the couch with him. Scorpius yawned, stretching out his long limbs and sighing. 

“Morning,” he muttered sleepily, placing a kiss on Albus’s cheek. Albus grinned uncontrollably and shifted so he could give Scorpius a proper one the lips. 

“Morning,” Albus sighed contentedly.

“So...we kissed last night. A lot.” 

“I remember,” Albus let him know. 

“I know, I know,” Scorpius shook his head. “Just...trying to process it is all.” 

“Do you regret it?”

“No, Merlin, no. Absolutely not. Never ever ever—do you?” Scorpius’ eyes went wide. 

Albus shook his head. 

“Ok, that’s good. Really glad we cleared that up,” Scorpius breathed a sigh of relief. “ Can I... kiss you again?” 

Albus leaned in to connect their lips. 

They only had a few minutes to enjoy the morning before Fiona’s barks threatened to disturb the neighbors. Reluctantly, Albus got up to feed her while Scorpius confirmed that the power had turned back on the night before. 

This time, when they walked Fiona together, Scorpius grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together. Albus smiled. It was a small gesture, but it meant everything to him. 

“I really really don’t want to go home tomorrow,” he confessed, already thinking about how insufferable James would be once he found out about him and Scorpius. He had fallen in love with this quiet life with Scorpius and couldn’t help but wonder if the two of them would ever move in together after graduating. He pictured them, one day, buying a house together and starting a life like Dean and Seamus had. Maybe they would get a dog and eventually have a few kids...he was getting ahead of himself. It had only been twelve hours since this new aspect of their relationship began, and seventeen was too young to plan your life out. Still, Albus couldn’t help but wonder. 

“Me neither,” Scorpius agreed. “I can’t believe we could have been doing this for the whole week,” he gestured to their entwined hands. 

“And this,” Albus kissed him on the cheek. 

“So, how long have you...wanted this? With me, I mean,” Scorpius inquired. 

“A while...” he admitted, wondering if Scorpius would tease him for his answer. He didn’t really care at this point. “Two years.” 

Scorpius stopped in his tracks and stared at him.

“Two years? Really?” He gaped. Albus nodded, slightly embarrassed, and waited for him to say something else. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Albus’s shoulders and kissed him on the lips right there on the sidewalk. 

“What was that for?” Albus said as Fiona dragged him away to chase a squirrel. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Scorpius connected their hands again and continued walking.

“I could ask the same thing about you,” Albus pointed out. 

“But for that long?” Scorpius pressed. “You liked me in fifth year? Even when I had horrible acne for half the year and no potion would make it go away?” 

“Yes,” Albus laughed, remembering the episode. 

In the beginning of their fifth year, Scorpius had started breaking out in fits of unpleasant and irritating pimples. The son of Voldemort rumors had finally died down, only to be replaced by incessant teasing from the same students. After the acne had persisted for over a month, Draco had taken Scorpius to see a very high ranking and very expensive skin healer only to have her discover that the breakouts had been due to an allergic reaction to his new French face wash. His face had cleared up immediately after he stopped using it, but even a year later there was still the occasional comment from another student. Throughout the entire incident, Albus had stuck with him loyally and threatened to hex anybody who dared look at Scorpius funny. 

“When did you know?” 

“Not that long ago, actually,” Scorpius “I think it took me a lot longer to realize what my feelings were because you were my only friend for a while. I didn’t really know any other kids my age growing up. You were my first. And I had never had feelings for anyone like that before- I mean-there was Rose, but looking back on it now I think I just thought she was really cool and I wanted to impress her,” he laughed. “But you…” he looked at Albus softly and they stopped walking again. “It felt so different. In a good way. It felt...right. And easy. And I never imagined that that was how love was supposed to feel. I think I knew when you came to stay at the Manor at the beginning of the summer and it was really late but we were in my room and you said something that made me laugh and I had this urge to kiss you and that’s when I figured everything out and—sorry, I’m rambling. 

“Don’t ever be sorry for that, Scor,” Albus told him gently. 

“Anyway,” Scorpius continued, “I do love you, Albus. I love everything about you and I don’t want to hide that anymore.” They kissed again, stopping only when they heard a woman clear her throat from behind. 

“Sorry!” Scorpius pulled away immediately and stepped to the side to allow her to pass them on the sidewalk. 

The rest of the walk was blissful, and interspersed with kisses. Albus didn’t think he would ever tire of kissing Scorpius.

Wanting to enjoy their last full day alone in the house together, they ate breakfast out on the patio and stayed out there for most of the morning. As it was mid-August the temperature was now bearable enough to lay outside. Scorpius had brought a book to read while Albus laid down next to him, letting the warmth of the sun bathe his bare back thanks to Scorpius’s sly suggestion that he remove his shirt. 

“Albus?” 

Albus propped himself up on his forearms to look at him. 

“Yeah?” 

“I was just wondering...now that we’ve- you know, kissed and confessed our love for each other and everything…” he trailed off uncertainly. 

“Yes?” Albus teased. 

“Are we like...boyfriends now? Can I call you my boyfriend?” He looked at Albus hopefully. 

“Yeah, I’d like that. Did you think I’d say no after what we did last night?” 

“I just thought that you maybe wouldn’t want to do labels or anything,” Scorpius explained. “You know, because this is so new. But I want to.” 

“Nah, I’m not James,” Albus assured him. 

“Ok, good. Because I really, really want you to be my boyfriend.” He picked up his book again, seemingly satisfied with what they had discussed. 

“Can I ask you something?” 

Scorpius set his book down again and gave Albus his full attention. 

“Does your dad know that you-I mean are you going to tell him about me? About me being your boyfriend?

Albus hadn’t meant for the question to sound so insensitive, but the question had been on his mind the whole morning. He knew that Scorpius came from a long line of pure blooded, rather conservative wizards that certainly would approve of him being with someone like Albus.   
Since Scorpius had confessed his feelings for Albus, an underlying fear that he would one day choose his family over Albus had taken root in the back of his mind. Some days he couldn’t help the insecurity. 

He held his breath while Scorpius took a moment to think.

“Of course I’m going to tell him,” Scorpius answered. “Although I’m not sure how. You know my family isn’t the most accepting—my grandparents on dad's side were horrible people. They still are. They’ve never accepted the way Mum and Dad chose to raise me. When they came to visit over the holidays back in second year the four of them got into this big row about me. My grandfather didn’t think that my dad should let me and you be friends. I didn’t understand why and Dad started screaming at him and then Mum brought me out of the room and explained everything to me. Dad hasn’t invited them over since. He thinks that everything they believe in is rubbish and he’s always been supportive of me...but a part of me is just so scared.” He sounded close to tears. 

Albus got up from where he had been sitting and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s neck. 

“Scor, you don’t have to tell him right away. I was just thinking about it, is all.” He muttered into his neck. 

“I know it sounds ridiculous…” 

“It’s not ridiculous.” 

Scorpius pulled back and Albus noticed that tears had begun to brim in his eyes. 

“Scor, you’re allowed to feel nervous about coming out or even just telling him that you have a boyfriend,” Albus assured him. “Even I sometimes worry about what my dad will say. But you should tell him when you’re ready.” 

“You’re right,” Scorpius sighed. “You always manage to calm me down, you know that?” 

Albus smiled and kissed him on the cheek. 

“It’s what I’m here for.” 

The day sped by much too quickly for their liking. Already having run out food, they ordered takeaway and ate it on the couch, scorgify-ing away any mess they made and giving Fiona pieces of food. 

After dinner, Albus took Scorpius to an ice cream shop a few streets over he had discovered on one of his longer walks with Fiona. They split a sundae—Scorpius eating most of it—and took a longer route home, holding hands as dusk fell.

The sun had almost set by the time they made it back. Fiona had fallen asleep in her bed and the house was quiet as they changed into their pajamas and brushed their teeth together. It was Albus’s turn to have the bed that night, but he couldn’t help but hope that maybe Scorpius could join him. He was hesitant to ask, because even though they had fallen asleep together on the couch the night before, a bed seemed much more intimate. 

Albus had just finished brushing his teeth when Scorpius, who had been locking up the house, appeared by his side and kissed him on the cheek. 

“What was that for?” Albus teased. 

“Just because I can,” Scorpius took Albus’ hands in his and leaned up to give him a proper kiss.   
“And...I was wondering if I could sleep in the guest bedroom with you? Tonight?” 

“I was hoping you’d ask me,” Albus stood up on his tiptoes to kiss him deeply, Scorpius meeting him halfway. It was funny how Scorpius could make snogging in a bathroom impossibly romantic. He could taste the peppermint toothpaste on his breath, a sharp change from the usual sweetness that lingered there from all the sugar. Albus let his hands migrate down to Scorpius’ waist, gripping his thin but solid frame before sliding them up a little farther, underneath his shirt. Scorpius gave a soft moan into his mouth before pulling away suddenly. Albus hoped he hadn’t gone too far too soon. 

Before he had the chance to apologize, Scorpius leaned down and whispered in his ear, in the most sinful tone: 

“Bed?” 

Albus nodded, unable to form words as most of the blood in his body began rapidly making its way south. 

Scorpius led him down the hallway to the guest bedroom and Albus wasted no time resuming his earlier advancements. He tugged Scorpius’ T-shirt up over his head and tossed it to the side before running his hands up along his abdomen. Scorpius was thin, but his body was sturdy and there was hard muscle underneath his skin. Albus wanted to touch all of it, explore every inch of his body and learn his most sensitive areas. 

As quickly as possible, he removed his own shirt, with the help of Scorpius, and they climbed onto the bed. It was only a twin, so it was a tight squeeze between the two of them but Albus didn’t mind in the slightest. The mattress was incredibly soft, he noted as Scorpius hovered over him, pressing him into it. 

It seemed impossible they had only begun this new aspect of their relationship just twenty-four hours ago. Albus always imagined that if Scorpius ever became his boyfriend, things might be awkward between them for a while. He knew that first relationships were usually rocky and uncomfortable, at least that was how his brother described them, but it couldn’t have been more opposite with Scorpius. 

He wasted no time in straddling Albus, kissing him more hungrily than he had ever before. Albus wasn't sure how far Scorpius was planning on going with this but he wasn’t going to complain. He lost himself in the rhythm of things for a while and only when he felt Scorpius’ obvious arousal against his thigh did he realize he too was painfully hard. 

“Scor, wait,” Albus breathed as Scorpius peppered kisses along his neck. He stopped immediately and pulled back. His cheeks were flushed and Albus had never seen his hair so messy. 

“Sorry,” he stammered. “Did I go too far?” He looked frightened. 

“No, Merlin no,” Albus shook his head almost violently. At this point, he was ready to give Scorpius blanket permission to do whatever he wanted with his body. He had more than enough fantasies to live out. “I just want to make sure we’re both on the same page about stuff. I don’t want to go too far and have you resent me or something because you weren’t ready.” 

“Al, I could never resent you for that,” Scorpius looked genuinely surprised that Albus would even suggest it. “And believe me, I’m ready, as long as you are. I want all my firsts to be with you.” His face softened at those words and all Albus could do was nod, his heart so full of love for this boy that he had no words. 

Scorpius continued his trail of kisses along Albus’ neck, slowly moving lower and lower until he reached the hem of his briefs. He looked up for confirmation one more time, his lips swollen and his eyes dark and full of lust. Albus didn’t think he’d ever seen anything so sexy, even in his fantasies. 

That was until he pulled Albus’s briefs down and lowered his mouth down onto him. Scorpius’s tongue worked wonders, pleasuring him in just the right places. He used one hand to stroke what couldn’t fit in his mouth and the other to massage the lower part of him. Albus fisted the sheets, widening his legs to give Scorpius better access. It was so, so good. He didn’t think it was possible for it to get any better. And then Scorpius tugged on his hand, signaling for him to place it on his head. He obliged, threading his fingers in Scorpius’ impossibly soft hair and resisting the urge to thrust up into the hot, wet heat of his mouth. 

He barely managed to moan out a warning before he came, emptying himself down Scorpius’ throat. The waves went on and on and on and it was so intense Albus thought he might die. He figured it wasn’t the worst way to go. Scorpius cleaned him off, letting go once he went all sensitive. He placed a few more kisses along Albus’ thighs before scooting up back to his original position so they were face to face again. 

“Fuck,” Albus groaned. Scorpius giggled and leaned down to kiss him again, allowing Albus to taste himself. It wasn’t the worst flavor—definitely salty though. He wondered if Scorpius tasted the same. 

Determined to find out, he flipped them over and kneeled on either side of Scorpius, kissing down his torso. He yanked down Scorpius’ briefs and...realized he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. He froze. Only then did it hit him how brave Scorpius must be to have done this so effortlessly on his first attempt. 

“Al,” Scorpius whimpered from above, thrusting his hips up. “Just do what feels right. Please I don’t care if it’s not perfect.” 

He nodded, praying to Merlin that it was alright. He gave Scorpius a few experimental licks, and mimicked what he had done to Albus with his hands. It didn’t take him long to figure out what would make Scorpius moan the most. All he wanted was to make Scorpius feel good, every day, for the rest of his life. 

He must have been doing something right, because in just seconds Scorpius was moaning and saying things Albus had only ever heard him say in dreams. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Scorpius, who talked his ear off everyday and seemed to have endless energy and enthusiasm for life, would be this loud in bed. Albus felt a swell of pride that he was the only one who got to see this shameless, sexy side of him. 

Scorpius came down his throat only seconds later. He tasted salty, and there was a hint of sweetness in there as well, Albus analyzed as the taste lingered on his tongue. Exhausted, he climbed back up the bed and collapsed against Scorpius’s chest. 

Albus woke up early the next morning to the sound of Scorpius’s light snoring. Their bare legs were tangled under the sheets, so intertwined that if he tried to get up he was sure to wake Scorpius. He shifted in his sleep, brushing his thigh over the hardness between Albus’s legs.   
Albus moaned, trying and failing to stifle it to not wake Scorpius. 

Scorpius’ eyes fluttered open. Upon seeing the reaction his movement had on Albus, he did it again, earning him another moan. 

“Morning,” he said casually. His voice was rough, and he kept moving his thigh up and down, clearly very aware of what he was doing to Albus. 

Albus bit his lip, unable to articulate a response. He was extra sensitive in the morning, and the new sensation of Scorpius’ thigh against him was driving him crazy. It was different than what they had done the previous night, lazier and relaxed. He quickly concluded that this was how he wanted to wake up, every morning until the end of time. 

Albus was close to the edge when Scorpius stopped his movements. He opened his eyes, and realized that Scorpius had said something. 

“What?” He muttered, opening his eyes. Scorpius was sitting up now, the blanket having fallen off of him. 

“I asked if I could, you know, use my mouth on you. Like we did last night,” he looked nervous, like he expected Albus to say no. 

“Scor, you literally never have to ask for permission to do that. Ever. I will always be absolutely, one hundred percent on board with that. In every universe and timeline…” Scorpius cut him off with a kiss. 

“I think I get it,” he giggled. “But I’m still going to ask. And you have to make me breakfast.” 

“Fair enough.” 

Scorpius grinned and moved down in between Albus’s thighs. 

True to his word, Albus did cook breakfast for Scorpius that morning after they reluctantly pulled themselves out of bed. He made pancakes that Scorpius absolutely drenched with maple syrup and they ate outside on the porch. 

Later, realizing that Dean and Seamus were due to return in only a half hour, Albus quickly tidied up the house while Scorpius walked Fiona one last time. He was especially careful to put the magazine exactly where he had found it, vowing to never mention it to anyone again. 

Dean and Seamus arrived home with their daughters right on schedule and were delighted to find the house clean and Fiona alive, excitedly jumping up and down upon seeing them. They paid Albus and Scorpius thirty galleons each and then it was time to leave. 

Albus hugged Scorpius tightly; they’d see each other soon enough, but Albus wasn’t too excited about the idea of going home. 

“Love you,” Albus muttered quietly into his ear; they didn’t kiss each other, not wanting to raise any questions from Dean and Seamus when their own parents didn’t even know they were dating yet.

“You too,” Scorpius 

Dean and Seamus bid them goodbye, and Scorpius stepped into the fireplace to floo back to Malfoy Manor. Albus followed soon after. 

“Dad?” Scorpius called out to the empty living room, brushing soot from the fireplace off of his trousers. 

“In here!” He heard his father’s voice ring out from the kitchen. 

They rarely used that room anymore; It held too many memories of Astoria for both Draco and Scorpius. Every once and a while Draco would try out a recipe or two, but their house-elf, Trixie, did most of the cooking. 

Scorpius set his bag down and approached the kitchen with caution; Draco wasn’t the best cook. He was relieved to find the kitchen intact and his father, wearing an apron, happily stirring what looked like pasta sauce at the stove. He had turned the radio up as well, which was broadcasting a Muggle station that played classic rock music. Upon seeing his son in the doorway Draco placed the wooden stove on the counter and turned the radio down. 

“How was house-sitting?” He asked merrily. 

“It was great,” said Scorpius. “Er… is everything alright?” He asked, eyeing his father’s strange attire up and down. “You don’t usually cook.” 

“Just excited to see you, that’s all,” Draco wiped off his hands using a dish towel and opened the oven to check something. “I’m making French bread with that recipe from your mum’s family.” 

“Sounds good.” Scorpius could smell the familiar scent coming from the oven. 

“So, there were no wild parties this year?” Draco asked him, having heard all about James’s party from Albus’ parents. “You boys behaved yourselves?” 

“Yes, dad,” Scorpius rolled his eyes fondly at his remark. Deciding on the spot because, his father was in such a good mood, Scorpius continued. “About Albus…” he began before trailing off. 

“Yes?” Draco arched an eyebrow and surveyed him. 

“He’s my boyfriend now, actually,” he said quietly, stumbling over some of the words. As soon as they came out he wanted to cry. Now that they were out there, for the first time, he wished he could take them back. He looked down, not being able to bear seeing his father’s reaction, and waited for him to say something. 

“Scorpius,” said Draco quietly. “Look at me.” 

Scorpius looked up and was relieved to see no signs of anger on his father’s face. 

“That’s wonderful,” Draco told him. “Come here,” he reached his arms out and Scorpius practically fell into them, not knowing how much he needed the hug. 

“I love you so much,” Draco told him. When he pulled back Scorpius hastily wiped his tears away in embarrassment. 

“I’m sorry—” Scorpius choked. He felt all of the emotions that had built up inside him since realizing he loved Albus threatening to spill out of him. He hadn’t realized how much he had been holding in. 

“Don’t be sorry,” Draco shook his head. “I’m so, so proud of you. I never want you to feel as though you can’t come to me with stuff like this.” 

“I just thought that—that you might be cross with me because—” Scorpius stuttered, too choked up to finish. 

“Because Albus is a boy?” Draco finished for him. Scorpius nodded. “I don’t care if you date boys or girls or anyone in between. You are my son, and I just want you to be with someone kind who makes you happy. Do you understand?” 

Scorpius nodded. 

“Why don’t you invite Albus over for dinner this week? I expect we’ll be seeing him around here even more now?” He suggested. 

Before Scorpius could answer, the smoke alarm interrupted their conversation and Draco groaned. 

“Merlin’s balls,” He swore under his breath, grabbing the oven mitts and opening the oven door to extract the now burnt loaf of bread. “I forgot to set the timer.” 

Scorpius, who managed to stop crying, laughed and extinguished the smoke with his wand. 

“Maybe let Trixie do all the cooking when Albus comes over?” He suggested. Draco sighed in defeat. 

“I suppose that would be best, wouldn’t it?” 

He didn’t mention Albus anymore, which Scorpius was grateful for. His dad seemed to know exactly what he needed at that moment. They could talk more about this another night, but Scorpius didn’t think he had the emotional capacity to do it just then. 

Later, he scribbled out a short letter to Albus, already missing him and looking forward to next week. 

Albus,

I know it’s only been a few hours but I miss you already. Dad was unusually happy when I got back. He tried cooking dinner—it didn’t end very well. But he was in such a good mood that I told him. About us. And he was really really happy. And he said he was proud of me. I don’t know why I was so worried. 

Anyway, he wanted me to invite you over for dinner one night next week. Maybe you could stay over too? It’s weird not having you around all of a sudden. 

Whatever you decide to tell your family, I hope everything goes alright. I hope James isn’t too insufferable. And let me know when you can come over :)

I love you,

Scorpius 

When Albus stepped out of the floo that afternoon, he was met with the usual, chaotic atmosphere in the Potter household. He could hear James and Lily practicing quidditch in the backyard and his mum typing up an article upstairs. Harry was in the kitchen getting an early start on dinner. It was strange to be home after the peace and quiet of Dean and Seamus’ house, especially after the past twenty-four hours of absolute bliss for him and Scorpius. 

He hadn’t figured out how he was going to tell his family about them. He had decided long ago that he didn’t want to make some big deal out of coming out, but he was with Scorpius now. He didn't ever want to hide that. 

Upon noticing his son had arrived home, Harry asked him a few questions about the week, before letting him go upstairs to unpack. Albus managed to make it to his bedroom without getting bothered by either James or Lily and promptly began emptying his bag of all the dirty clothes. Immediately he noticed that, in his haste to pack everything as quickly as possible, he had grabbed a few of Scorpius’s shirts and underpants by mistake. He threw everything in the washing machine and made a mental note to grab the clothes out of the dryer before his mum saw them and started asking questions. 

At dinner that night, Harry had cooked his famous lasagna and all five of them sat down at the table, a rare occurrence these days. 

James dominated most of the conversation, talking excitedly about his new quidditch training schedule and the teams it would be playing in the upcoming seasons. Albus was quiet for most of the meal, piping up once or twice with a comment here and there. His mind was mostly preoccupied with thoughts of Scorpius. He’d barely been able to hide his uncontrollable smile since coming home.

Albus caught himself grinning stupidly to himself when he heard his Dad’s voice cut through his thoughts. 

“What?” He looked up lost to four sets of eyes staring at him. 

“I asked how Scorpius was doing,” Harry questioned, finishing off his glass of wine. 

“Oh,” Albus responded, taking a minute to gather his thoughts. “He’s er—good. I suppose,” he shrugged. 

“That’s good,” Harry nodded while James and Lily gave Albus funny looks. He figured he should just say it before somebody changed the subject. Besides, the earlier his family got all of the teasing out of their systems, the better. 

“We’re dating,” Albus blurted out before he could change his mind. “Scorpius and I are dating. By the way,” he added, feeling his ears go red. He looked down at his plate to avoid seeing his parents' reactions. Ginny cleared her throat. 

“So that’s why you wanted Scorpius to house sit with you?” she asked slyly. 

“Not exactly,” Albus stammered. “We got together a couple days ago, actually.” James was waggling his eyebrows at him from across the table. (Albus knew that if it weren’t for their mum sitting next to him, he would be doing much more). Lily’s face, however, like Harry’s, was neutral. 

“Well, that’s wonderful, Al,” Ginny concluded. “You two are good for each other.”

“You are,” Harry agreed. 

“Er—thanks,” said Albus, breathing a sigh of relief, thankful that, for once, his family kept the drama to a minimum. He reckoned that that wasn’t the end of it, but for now he was thankful. 

After dinner, Albus successfully collected his laundry from the dryer and retired to his room to put it away. As soon as he set it down he heard a peck at the window and turned to see the Malfoy family owl, Runa, outside holding a letter. He opened the window and let her in. She hopped onto the windowsill and Albus grabbed the letter, obviously from Scorpius, from her beak and gave her a treat. She playfully nipped at his fingers before flying off. Albus abandoned the laundry and sat down on his bed to read the letter. 

He was halfway through a reply when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. 

“Come in,” he answered, setting his quill down, assuming it would be James. To his surprise, it was Harry who opened the door. 

“Hey Al—your mum just wanted me to have a quick word with you,” said Harry in a strained voice. He took a seat at the edge of his son's bed. 

“Er—about what?” he asked. Judging by the grimace Harry wore on his face, it likely wasn’t something pleasant. 

“She just wanted me to check and make sure that you and Scorpius are- you know,” he attempted some vague hand gestures, “being safe and all,” he finished awkwardly, not meeting Albus’ eyes. 

Oh. Albus felt his cheeks heat up. This definitely wasn’t something he wanted to talk about. 

“Dad,” Albus started. 

“Look,” Harry began before he could get a word in. “I know you’re seventeen—I’m not going to give you any detailed talk. Merlin knows you probably know more than I do—but your mum just wanted me to check in. Just—you know, remember consent and all that. And use protection—or,” Harry paused in thought for a moment. “Do you even need protection?”

“Dad,” Albus groaned, really wishing he would just shut up before either of them could become any more embarrassed. 

“Never mind,” Harry waved his hand. “I trust you to make good decisions. But if your mum asks, tell her I gave you some advice or...something. Okay?” 

“Deal,” Albus agreed. “Please never try to talk to me about gay sex ever again.”

“Deal,” said Harry, looking a little flustered but smiling all the same. He got up and opened the door, seemingly about to leave before he decided to say something else. 

“But in all seriousness, I’m glad you and Scorpius found each other. You seem happier when he’s around. He’s good for you, really,” he echoed Ginny’s words from earlier. 

Albus was momentarily taken aback with the sentiment coming from his dad. He knew Harry was happy about his relationship, but he didn’t often express how he was feeling so explicitly to Albus anymore. 

“Thanks, Dad,” Albus said. He meant it this time. Harry shut the door and left Albus alone in his room. Breathing a sigh of relief, he went back to his letter, but only had a second of peace and quiet before his door burst open and James strolled into his room. Albus put his quill down in annoyance 

“What are you doing in here?” He huffed. 

“Can’t I just come into my brother’s room and hang out?” He asked, looking affronted. He took a seat in Albus’s desk chair. “Besides, I’m bored.” He looked around before grabbing one of the Muggle pens off Albus’s desk and clicking it repeatedly. 

“James, please don’t break that,” Albus reprimanded his brother. 

“Why?” James taunted, clicking it faster at those words. “Did Scorpius give it to you or something?” he teased. 

Albus had been prepared to make up some lie about how a famous quidditch player had used it to sign his photograph, but it was true. Scorpius had gone to the Natural History Museum in New York City with his dad the previous summer and brought it back for Albus as a souvenir. It was a nice, expensive pen, but that wasn’t why he wanted James to be careful with it. 

“Just put it down, please,” Albus asked nicely. 

“Aww so I was right,” James grinned cheekily, setting the pen down. “How is Scorpius, anyway? Did dad come here to talk to you about him? ” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. 

Albus had been about to reply with a sarcastic comment when his bedroom door opened again, this time to reveal Lily. Just as James had, she invited herself into the room and sat down at the end of Albus’ bed. 

“Lily,” Albus groaned. “What are you doing in here?” 

“I saw James come in here and thought I would come join you two,” she answered, as if it were the most obvious explanation in the world. “Anyway, what are you two talking about? Who are you writing to?”

“Nothing and nobody,” he pulled the letter out of her view and opened one of the drawers in his bedside table to store it in temporarily. “I thought you guys were going to watch a movie or something with Mum and Dad?” 

“Nah, they went upstairs whispering about stuff. Probably about you and Scor,” James mentioned casually, swiveling Albus’ desk chair in circles. 

“They’re talking about me?” 

“Relax, it’s all good stuff from what me and Lils heard,” James assured him. “They seem happy about it,” he shrugged. 

“Oh,” Albus stared at him, dumbfounded. He wasn’t used to being the center of such positive attention among his parents. 

“You know we don’t care, right?” Lily put in. “Besides, Scorpius is practically family now, and I could use a brother that doesn’t think it’s funny to have belching competitions at the dinner table or leave their underpants all over the house.” 

“That was one time!” Shouted James, stopping his chair and turning around to face her. Lily had been referring to the time when he had hooked up with his girlfriend while the rest of the family was out and somehow managed to leave a few articles of clothing downstairs. Lily, horrified, had been the one to find them. 

“Still gross.” 

“Well, now that Al and Scor are finally together they’ll be snogging all over the house, so you won’t only be able to blame me for PDA.” 

“Shut up,” Albus retorted jokingly, rolling his eyes at his siblings. They were probably right, anyway. Already he and Scorpius could hardly keep their hands to themselves. 

The three of them laughed and then James changed the subject to the new assistant coach on his team that he was trying to seduce, which made both Lily and Albus roll their eyes. Nobody brought up Albus’s sexuality or Scorpius again that night. They talked for an hour, catching up and taking advantage of one of the now increasingly rare times where they could be together, just the three of them. 

After saying goodnight, Albus opened the drawer in his bedside table and pulled out the letter to Scorpius. He picked up his quill and added a few more sentences before folding it up and addressing it. 

Scorpius,   
I miss you too. I hope your dad doesn’t burn the Manor down like he almost did last year when I stayed for Christmas. And I knew he would be happy about us. After all, I am his favorite Potter. 

But seriously, Scor, you had nothing to worry about.

My dad was asking about you at dinner so I told everyone then. Nobody made a big deal about it, thank Merlin. But Dad came into my room earlier and said he was happy and all that. Apparently Mum tried to convince him to give me some kind of “talk” about safe sex and all that, but he seemed uncomfortable trying to explain safety precautions. Never have I ever been so thankful for being gay. 

I would love to stay over next week. Does Saturday work? Surprisingly, James hasn’t been too insufferable lately, although I might have to take that back the next time you come to visit. 

I love you and can’t wait to see you next week. 

Albus 

As he sealed the letter shut and gave it to his owl, he couldn’t help but think about how long it had taken him and Scorpius to get to this point, and how much they had to endure along the way. Between both of them and their families, there was bound to be more awkward moments and bouts of drama. But none of that mattered as long as he had Scorpius. Albus would go through all of the heartache and embarrassment again and again if it meant being able to stay by his side. 

For Scorpius, he’d do it a million times.

**Author's Note:**

> I very nearly did not get this done in time! I would have liked to expand this more and delve deeper into Albus' feelings on this work (and maybe write more from Scorpius' POV) but I did not manage my time well enough and had to juggle work along with my online classes. I do hope everyone enjoys this though and I would very much appreciate comments! Thank you to the scorbus tumblr community for being so supportive and encouraging to everyone participating in this fest! I'm very excited to share this :) 
> 
> Follow me on tumblr @greenandgreyeyes !


End file.
